FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

February 25, 2008

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TOPIC OF LECTURE SERIES AT GRINNELL COLLEGE

GRINNELL, IA.--Grinnell College’s Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs will host a series of lectures on constitutional rights, Mar. 3-6, by Robert Peck, president of the Center for Constitutional Litigation in Washington, D.C.

Peck, who is the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow on the Grinnell campus, has argued constitutional law cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and challenged laws that limited access to the courts or adopted unfair election procedures. He previously served as the First Amendment counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The author of "The Bill of Rights and the Politics of Interpretation," Peck has appeared on radio and TV about terrorism, censorship, television violence, political reform, religious expression, and flag-burning. He holds a J.D. from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and a master of laws from Yale University and is adjunct professor of law at American University and George Washington University.

During his visit to the Grinnell campus, Peck will address the following topics in free, public open forums:

· "Terror, Belligerent Presidents, and the First Amendment," on Mar. 3 at 8 p.m. in Room 101 of the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center

· "The Supreme Court Take a Hard Right Turn" on Mar. 4, 8 p.m., Room 101 of the Rosenfield Center

· An informal discussion on constitutional issues on Mar. 6, 4:15 p.m., in South Lounge of the College Forum.

The Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program, which is administered by the Council on Independent Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C., brings prominent artists, diplomats, journalists, business leaders, and other non-academic professionals to campuses across the U.S. . Peck’s Grinnell visit is sponsored by the college’s Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, Human Rights, and International Relations.

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